


A Lesson in Carnal Pleasures

by Latnii



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-07 22:09:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4279755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latnii/pseuds/Latnii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peridot had never seen herself as someone to engage in secret missions or take on anything for the military beyond typical maintenance on space crafts. However, it was this typical maintenance work that got her caught up in an evaluation for an older, abandoned kindergarten. When things begin to go wrong, she takes a trip to Earth along with a general and war prisoner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, this is a fill for the homeworld side of events from Ocean Gem to The Return. It will eventually become rather graphic, sexually. Updates might be a little infrequent due to summer semester, but I will do my best. Otherwise, enjoy.

Peridot had been diligently working on prepping the hull of another warship when she saw her. The gem was nothing like she had seen in her few thousand years of life, arriving on wings made of water, a rare substance on Homeworld. Peridot glanced around, hoping to see one of her fellow mechanics, if only to confirm what was playing out before her. When she saw only robonoids, she scrambled to the safety of the hanger. Her curiosity got the better of her, though, as she peaked around the side of the door. 

The mechanic watched the new gem with interest as she summoned her template, her fingers floating the reveal the green screen before she pressed a distress call. She didn’t like to be disturbed during her work, especially by a foreign looking gem clad in a navy dress with a blue diamond on the front. It was attire like she had never seen, nothing even close to standard uniforms as assigned by Yellow Diamond herself. The other gem wondered for a moment, seeming to catch her bearings as she peered around, taking a particular interest in the ship and tools Peridot had just been working with. 

The blue gem walked towards it cautiously, practically floating with how light her steps were as she ran a curious finger along the metal. Peridot could see her face clearly now, her expression sad but held and edge of something else, relief almost. She couldn’t fathom why a war ship could bring such a reaction. For as long as she had been around, Peridot had much preferred working on the ships as opposed to traveling and fighting in them. Besides, brutes of gems tended to disrespect mechanics such as herself and the ships always came back in shambles. She much preferred to stay on Homeworld.    


“Hello?” The strange gem’s dress billowed as she called softly to the space, turning her attention to the hanger she was currently hiding in. Peridot began to panic as the gem stepped closer, hitting the panic button again. When it was apparent no one was coming anytime soon, she bolted for the control panel, producing a destabilizer. She glanced over it warily before she heard the gem calling again, her voice less soft.    

“Is someone there?”

Peridot snagged the weapon from the control panel, holding it out before her as the gem approached, shaking a little in the face of combat. However, she never got the chance to respond, let alone fight, before the entrance to the main building flew open, two guards and the decorated outfit of a general rushing in with destabilizers of their own.   

The general in particular caught her eye. She towered over her counterparts with an air of command and respect. Her voice was low as she commanded the guards to ‘capture at any cost, alive preferably.’ Peridot recognized her after a beat as Jasper. Many of her higher ups and co-workers often complained about her, either being too rough with equipment or something about ‘inappropriate behavior’ with other gems.   

The blue gem watched carefully before a look of terror came over her face as she turned to flea, something that surprised peridot. Her wings began to spread, glistening in the light from the hanger but one of the guards stuck her with the destabilizer, only for a moment. Still, it was enough, bringing the gem crashing back to the ground, her wings now puddled around her as she attempted to move.   

Finally catching up, Jasper stood above her, a grim look on her face as she took in the sight of the gem below her. She kicked her, pulling a low groan from the smaller gem. “Blue diamond loyal, eh? Haven’t seen one of those in a while,” she sneered, holding her hand out to one of the guards. The general was handed a destabilizer, which she knelt down with, hovering over the blue gem.  

Peridot chanced moving closer, her own destabilizer held loosely. She had only ever been on the receiving end of a shock once, in training. The weight of the weapon was off to her, but the general held it so firmly in her grasp, as if it were an extension of her own body. Jasper gripped the gem’s face, trying to get a rise out of her. When she got nothing, she stabbed her full on with the destabilizer, the cries from the gem below not fazing her in the slightest before there was a flash of light and smoke.

A small, tear drop shaped gem was quickly scooped up by Jasper as she stood, handing the destabilizer back to the guard without so much as a glance. Peridot fretted for a moment, unsure of what to do before deciding to put the destabilizer back where she had pulled it from. After that display, she didn’t want much to do with the weapons.   

“You.”  

At first, Peridot didn’t recognize it as a call for her, but after a beat of nothing but silence, Peridot turned, the general now standing right before her. “Y-yes?” She asked, uneasy at a military official addressing her at all. Typically, mechanics and military never crossed paths. They only supplied the weapons and ships and the military only damaged them, a symbiotic yet chaotic relationship.   “Name, department, and rank,” the general demanded. Peridot wanted to sneer. Who was she to command her around? She had no baring over her department. Still, with the guards so close and holding destabilizers, Peridot didn’t think it very smart to defy her.  

“R&E. Peridot, third chain next to Head Mechanic, Citrine,” she supplied quickly, unable to keep the small smile off her lips. She had spent the better half of three millennium working her way up to that title. Most of the department heads seemed to respect that, often giving in to her whims. In fact, most of the supply and tech departments were at her beckon. Jasper, however, didn’t seemed to care, much to her dismay. Instead, she simply snorted.

“You’ll be following me.”

“Excuse me?” Peridot squeaked, unbelieving of the order given to her. “I most certainly will not.” The general, who had been walking away turned, a slight frown on her face. 

“Did you not hear right? I said, you’ll be following me.” Jasper was facing her fully now, her arms folded as she gave Peridot a good once over.

“And what for? Who do you think is going to fix the repairs on the war ships? The robonoids? I have a job to do and you’re interrupting it,” Peridot said, her anger over taking the fear brewing low in her gut. “If you need a witness report or a recant of what happened, I can send the paperwork along.”   

Jasper stood, her expression unchanging from the frown as she met her eyes, a bright amber to her own green. She stared for a while before snorting, a slight grin appearing on her lips. Peridot’s confidence wavered at the change in demeanor. She couldn’t imagine anything good could come from amusement in this gem.   

“Consider it a promotion then.” Jasper held her hand up, showing Peridot the blue gem. It caught the light occasionally, showing traced of gold flickering in its center. “I’m going to need a pilot and I’ve heard rumors there’s a need for a kindergarten engineer to head a project. And, if you’re aware, those who work in kindergartens tend to lead departments.”   

Peridot considered the offer. Being the lead on a kindergarten project was what got Citrine where she was, and she often spoke of those days fondly during meetings or private asides with her cabinet. Not to mention how rare the opportunity was; the last kindergarten to come up had been lost nearly three thousand years ago, the last few gems emerging in the past century. The planet had been tapped and there were no more in the direct solar system that could support the equipment. 

The smirk on the larger gem’s face grew as Peridot weighed her options, realization rolling across her mind as she turned up to the general. “Fine, but I will need to inform the Head Mechanic and my support teams.” Jasper sported a full blown grin once she agreed. 

“Then, you’ll be following me.”  


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's this for a Steven Bomb starter? Carnelian is not a gemsona, just the jewelry I happened to be wearing when I wrote this. She is in no way a major character, fear not.

The inside of the complex was much larger then Peridot had realized. Typically, she and several members of her engineering team only came to the military base for necessary repairs. She spent a majority of her time in research and development, preferring to build things then repair the mess made by others. But, she was good at her job, meaning contracts were ever flowing.

However, being on a repair team meant she rarely left the hangers or storage rooms. The halls Jasper led her down were expansive, wide enough for five or six gems to comfortably fit length wise, and lit in the harshest of lights. The guards who had been present in the hanger followed shortly after, trailing Jasper with her stuck in the middle. 

It was an unnerving formation and it only tightened as they shuffled into an elevator. Jasper stood directly behind her with either guard to the side. Peridot felt more like a prisoner then a candidate for any kindergarten project.    The elevator dinged when they reached their floor, leaving Peridot to shuffle out quickly into yet another hallway. It was just as bright as the last, but contained far more Yellow Diamond insignia and decorations then the lower levels. It was significantly shorter and lead straight to a rather large door. She felt a bump to her shoulder as Jasper pushed past her, punching in a code on the keypad before it slid open. 

Peridot stood in the middle of the hallway as the guards stood to either side of the entrance. She was unsure of whether to follow but when Jasper paused and turned to her, jerking her head inside, Peridot followed after her.

  The room was much dimmer then the hallways. Instead, a soft, green glow illuminated much of it. There was a large round table, taking up much of the room, with seats interspaced around it; making the room a conference hall. The wall opposite where she stood was a mirrored window, letting in little light and giving a clear view of the city below.  

“Come on,” Jasper growled, already walking around the edge. Peridot scooted to follow, noticing the farthest chair to the left was turned away from them, the edges of a figure visible around it.    “Did you catch her?”

Jasper plopped down in the closest chair next to the turned one, settling comfortably before speaking. “You can see everything on those panels. Why do you even ask?”  

The chair turned revealing a gem, in standard uniform, that Peridot didn’t recognize. Her expression wore a frown and she ran a hand through her shortly cropped hair. “Then you’ll be questioning her later. I don’t want to get involved in any of the previous war messes. I have three plants, all with dying Kindergartens to deal with. And you know she’s not happy about any of it, let alone the failure of the last campaign.”  

She gave Jasper a pointed glare. The larger gem’s response was to simply lean back. “Look, I wasn’t responsible for that one, so don’t get all pissy with me, Carnelian.”

   The gem, Carnelian, gave her a short snort before turning to Peridot, her gaze questioning as she gave her a once over. “And you are?”   Peridot jumped a little at having been addressed, but quickly gave Carnelian her name and rank. She looked down to the tablet in her hands, sighing. “I suppose you saw her then?” She tapped away for a moment before a picture and file, both hers, appeared. “You weren’t a part of the Earth wars…”  

“No, and that’s why she’s here,” Jasper interjected. “We can’t allow anyone to know about a Blue Diamond loyal showing up on Homeworld. And, if the grapevine is to be believed, there’s a kindergarten in need of a mechanic. So here, I have one.”    Carnelian narrowed her eyes, giving Peridot a once over before turning to her file, scrolling down it idly. “I can’t imagine this would go over well with her.”  “Would you rather go through with another purge? Especially with such low population numbers.”

   There was a moment of pause between the two, the tension palatable in the air before a heavy sigh fell from he smaller gem’s lips. “I’ll put in some paper work. We do have an…issue, with the recent red eye that went out.”  

Jasper perked up slightly as Carnelian turned to address Peridot. “We’ll need you to see about repairing a galaxy warp. Then, access the kindergarten’s central processing unit to check on some experiments.”  

“The fusion ones?” Jasper asked, her tone containing traces of annoyance. Carnelian disregarded Jasper, continuing to speak towards Peridot, her eyes focused on her tablet as she typed.  

“It was set up around five thousand years ago at the end of a war. Of course, you’re only three millenniums old, so you’ll be forwarded the bare minimum information we see fit. But, what I can say, for now, is that an experiment was done with shattered gems regarding fusion. We need you to check on them, make sure they’re developing well. They shouldn’t be emerging for another few decades, but one can never be too careful.”  

She turned her gaze then to look Peridot straight in the eye. “If you succeed, we’ll consider you the head of the kindergarten. It’s not a bad gig. If I were you, I would take it, but I head the military, so it’s not my expertise.” 

There was a low rumble from Jasper as she stood. Carnelian turned to her now, their eyes meeting for a moment. The general took on a prideful stance, her large hip jutted to the side, a hand resting on it while the other toyed with the blue gem, impossibly small in her grasp. “If that’s it then, I’m going to have fun when she finally regenerates.”   “Be mindful of unnecessary force, Jasper. We don’t need another Pyrite situation.”  

Jasper laughed, a booming sound that traveled through the room, echoing in Peridot’s ears even after she had left with the door sliding shut behind her. Carnelian sighed heavily and typed something in before continuing on with her speech. 

“She’s much too unruly at times, but she does a good job,” she said dismissively, turning the tablet over to Peridot. “I’ll need your confirmation and ID number before you may proceed with the mission.”

   “I’m still not sure exactly what you’re asking of me,” Peridot replied. A heavy frown decorated her features as her eyes turned from he tablet to Carnelian.

Another heavy sigh came from the gem, the tablet still hovering in the air between them. “Basically,” she began, “all you need to do is access an inactive kindergarten to check an experiment. Everything is outlined in the notes. In exchange, you’ll be granted second in command of the Engineer and Research department. If Citrine ever were to, befall tragedy…”   Carnelian shifted, crossing her legs. She squared her shoulders out more, staring Peridot dead in the eye as she delivered her next sentence. 

   “You would be the director of R&E and considered for cabinet member to Yellow Diamond.” 

Peridot met Carnelian’s gaze before turning her attention to the screen before her. “Fusions, you said?”


	3. Chapter 3

Peridot stormed down the hallway of the now familiar military base, spewing curses and threats to any gem who came near her. She only paused her stampede to wait, rather impatiently, as the elevator moved up floors. The doors had barely opened and Peridot was already stomping out and into the conference room where she had received the job in the first place. 

The room wasn’t as empty as it usually was, which startled Peridot, but didn’t detract from her rage. Four gems sat on one side of the table, collected together as they spoke lowly. They looked up to glance at her before returning to their work. Peridot paid them no mind, instead making a bee line for Carnelian who was in her chair, typing away as usual. Jasper sat not too far from her, looking utterly bored while she toyed with what looked like a destabilizer, its pieces spread out on the table next to her feet where she had propped up next to them. 

“Did you get the report I filed?” Peridot demanded, coming to a stop just before Carnelian. She cocked a hip out and folded her arms, her irritation evident in her posture. 

Carnelian looked up with an icy gaze. “Of course. In fact, if you had read your correspondences as opposed to bursting in, you would know I have already prepped a ship for your trip to Earth.”

The gems across the table paused their conversation, meekly listening while trying to appear uninterested in the heated words. Jasper even looked up, giving the two a sidelong glance.

“You’re making me fly to Earth. Sixteen thousand tectrons to check on these ridiculous fraken-fusions?!” Peridot’s voice rose steadily as she questioned the other gem. Carnelian sighed, tossing the tablet carelessly to the table where it floated. 

“Yes, Peridot, sixteen thousand tectrons for the ‘fraken-fusions.’ The same ones Yellow Diamond has specifically asked for.” Peridot’s arms unfolded slightly at that news, her brows furrowed. 

“Why was I not informed that she requested-“

Carnelian quickly cut it off. “Because it wasn’t your concern.” The gem sighed, squinting slightly before she stood, her height not quite that of Peridot’s but enough to meet her at eye level. “This has already been decided. You are to go to Earth with the informant. Jasper has told me she is being cooperative.”   Peridot snorted, turning her nose down at Carnelian. “If she was so cooperative, why didn’t she tell up there were other gems on this Earth?”

“Because I didn’t ask,” Jasper replied, her voice annoyed. Peridot turned to her, surprised by the conversation as Jasper had largely ignored her since first getting her the assignment. She had returned to piecing the destabilizer back together, her large fingers surprisingly accurate with the minute instruments. 

“And why didn’t you ask? Do you realize I could have been shattered? I was on enemy grounds!” Jasper snorted at the outburst, clicking the central power source into the shaft of the weapon as she turned to her. The weapon powered on, the sparks that flew from the tip emphasizing her words.

“Didn’t come up. I asked how she got here, she said a human let her out. I didn’t need to know the rest of the story.” 

Peridot opened her mouth before shutting it again, her glare sending daggers at the larger gem. Jasper didn’t seem to notice, turning back to the destabilizer to turn it off. 

“You are utterly insufferable,” Peridot curtly told her. Jasper let out a short chuckle, starling her as the one became a series of deep booming laughs. The other gems had their undivided attention on the three now and Carnelian didn’t appear as if she was ready to step in any time, simply rolling her eyes and taking up her seat again.

“Good to hear since you’ll be stuck with my insufferable ass for the rest of your mission.” 

Peridot stopped at that. She turned to Carnelian who raised her eyebrows, a sly smirk showing that she found the whole thing amusing. “With her?” Peridot squeaked. 

Carnelian just shrugged. “No one else on hand. Plus, the informant insisted.”

“She doesn’t have any world destroying to do?” Peridot tried, but a heavy weight fell on her shoulder, holding her roughly. She turned up to Jasper who’s hand was now firmly grasping her, a small sneer on her face. 

“Get your shit to the ship, techie. I’ll meet you there.” With that, Jasper walked out of the room, leaving the gems in their group to begin chattering amongst themselves again. Peridot’s fingers came up to where the other had held her shoulder, a strange shiver running down her spine.

“I’ll send the updated information to the ship’s hub,” Carnelian said. “You’ll want to meet the informant at the bridge. And, keep an eye on her. She’s still in that awful Blue Diamond get up, so who knows how trust worthy she is.”

Peridot groaned, but ultimately walked out of the conference room, stopping by her workspace to gather what few things she might need for the journey. She had checked her own tablet not long after, finding that the mission updates had, indeed, been sent which included a file on Jasper and the informant. Peridot absent mindedly scrolled through it, taking in as much information as she could before reaching the boarding area. 

The ship she had been assigned was one of the smaller recon ships, equipped with enough firepower in case of trouble and enough cells for prisoner transport. It was one of the fastest in the fleet which was testament to how urgent these fusions seemed to be. Peridot simply sighed, walking aboard. 

Jasper stood in the command center, her back to the door with an arm against the wall, speaking lowly to someone Peridot couldn’t see. Neither paid her any attention and the soft voice of the other gem could be hear, her tone like glass compared to the gravel that denoted Jasper’s speech. 

Peridot loudly cleared her throat, her hands on her hips. “We’ll be leaving now. I’d like to meet the informant, General.” 

Her voice echoed through the room and she could see Jasper flinch slightly. She turned, facing Peridot, but still shielding the gem behind her. Still, whoever she was was poking her head around Jasper, her eyes wide as she took in Peridot’s features. Peridot did likewise, observing the navy of her hair, a contrast to the light blue of her skin. She recognized her as the gem from the hanger, her eyes widening at the revelation. 

“Techie, meet Lapis Lazuli,” Jasper said after a moment, refusing to let Peridot see her fully. “She was an enemy during the Earth wars, but is proving herself as homeworld loyal.”

“I can speak for myself,” the smaller gem said, earning an unsure glance from Jasper. The general started to say something, but Lapis was already moving around her and towards Peridot. She stared at her inquisitively, her hands tucked behind her back before jutting one forward towards her, palm facing inward. 

“It’s nice to meet you. Jasper told me a little about you. For mission purposes, of course,” she said, stumbling slightly with her words. Peridot stared down at the hand, utterly unsure of what to do. 

Jasper snapped her out of her confusion with the lull in conversation. “You shake it,” she said with a curt laugh. 

Lapis turned to look at Jasper, her hand retracting slightly as she turned back to Peridot. “You don’t have to though. It was just a…custom, when I was last here. After the Earth invasion, that is.” The moment hung awkwardly between the three of them. Jasper cleared her throat, prompting Lapis to look over at her.

“Come on. Let’s let the techie handle the commands. I gotta find something to occupy my time.” She brushed past the two of them out the door. Lapis paused, turning to Peridot before slipping out after her, skirt fluttering in her wake. Peridot was left alone, finally, and she could only scoff as she sat at the commands and ran the basic preparations for take off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this will get very nsfw eventually. Gotta build up to it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any typos, I edited this at 2 am with a couple of glasses of wine in me.  
> Also, this is a glimmer of future smut to come. Enjoy.

It had been nearly five days since Peridot had let up the commands. She could often hear Jasper or Lapis filter in, checking either on status (Jasper) or just to watch her, oddly enough (Lapis). Occasionally, in the security feed she would flick through, she could see either of them wandering the halls. One of the downfalls of the smaller ship was its lessened surveillance except in the long corridors. The commands were cumbersome as well, only allowing her to access the security by focusing solely on the program, her mind reeling with the new information.

   Despite flipping through the many cameras today, however, Peridot couldn’t find either the general or informant. It was an unsettling fact as both frequently came into the control room to pester her, but neither had checked in recently. It bothered her slightly and she could only take so much of watching the ship’s status reports flicker before her mind.

With a small thought, the ship’s autopilot kicked in and Peridot rose, stretching her back out after having sat for nearly a solid week. The pops were satisfying enough as she set off, wandering the bright green corridors for any sign of the two. 

The search lasted into the better part of an hour. She had checked the weapons stores, several of the cell blocks, and various living quarters with no luck. Her grumbling had begun sometime after she entered the main deck but was cut off by a soft noise. Peridot paused, daring not to move as she listened, trying to discern where the noise was coming from.

It was a voice, this she was sure of, fluid as it traveled to her and full of something that Peridot couldn’t quite place. She followed quietly, not wanting to disturb whoever it was as the voice was only growing in volume, sighs and moans floating through the hallways. Her search ended at an open door to a meeting room, the mechanism stuck from looking like a crack in the machinery, as well as several dents in the wall. Peridot wrinkled her nose but peered inside nonetheless. 

The majority of what she saw, at first, was Jasper kneeling on the ground with her hair cascading down her back. But as the general shifted slightly, she could clearly see Lapis laid out on the table, her skirt hiked up and legs spread with Jasper in between them. 

Memories of gossip and reports were rather commonplace in the hangers. Most were the tales of the general taking gems in ways that many frowned on, but let pass due to her status. One of the senior engineers, a tourmaline, had explained it to her once. Something about colonization and biological practices that gems as a species never found necessary. Still, it wasn’t unheard of for soldiers to couple off at times. It was typically a private matter, though, and from what she knew from her fellow engineers, Jasper tended to operate outside the realm of private. She had a strong tendency to do as she pleased at the most inappropriate times. 

Peridot watched on in slight awe at how Lapis writhed under the general’s touch, her back arching occasionally when her vocal chords would truly sing. Her hands were, for the most part, covering her mouth to stifling the small cries. Jasper would often reach up, an enormous hand pulling one of her arms while the other cupped her thigh. 

From her vantage point, Peridot had full view of what was going on between the gem’s legs and her face heated up for it. Jasper’s tongue was laving out onto Lapis’ sex, the simple action throwing her into fits of sighs and moans. After a few licks, she places her mouth fully on Lapis and brought the hand gripping her down, pressing a steady finger into her. 

Lapis responded well to this, her hands digging into Jasper’s wild hair and gripping tightly. “Oh! Crook,” she paused to inhale, “crook your finger again.” The other gem didn’t respond, simply did as she was told and continued her ministrations, slowly rocking the finger in and out of her. 

A sudden shiver ran down Peridot’s spine and an odd heat settled low in her stomach at the noises made by the actions and Lapis’ throat, but she couldn’t bring herself to look away. Her face was hot as well and her legs refused to move as she watched on, in abstract horror mixed with mild arousal.  

The blue gem was whining again, but this was a much more desperate sound, her back straining against the solid surface of the table. Jasper seemed to pick up the pace with her faceted nose buried deep in the hair nestled on Lapis’ groin, the smaller gem’s hands gripping Jasper’s long hair to hold her in place. 

She came hard, her body spasming slightly in the wake of her orgasm before resting against the table. Her eyes were screwed shut as she sucked in air, her after glow seeming to settle in lovingly. Jasper pulled her finger free with a wet pop and pulled back, her head now free from Lapis’ grip. One of her enormous hands came up to her mouth, wiping away what juices had flowed onto her face as she turned slightly, pausing before turning fully to face Peridot, their eyes locking. 

Peridot didn’t dare move at first, her feet stuck fast to their place in the doorway. A grin slowly spread across Jasper’s face as she watched her and that was enough to get her to move back a step. There was something oddly sinister about her expression, yet, there was a hint of invitation and lust added in for good measure. Peridot didn’t stay there for much longer as Lapis stirred, her boots pounding against the metallic floor, echoed only by Jasper’s deep and booming laughter.  

The doors to the command room slid open effortlessly as the one to the conference room had. Once she made it inside, Peridot’s disembodied fingers slammed the panel to shut it, her back leaning against its solid weight, inhaling deeply while her mind processed what she had just seen.    Her feet then carried her forward and away from the door and collapsing into her chair, a few fingers ran over her face in attempt to clear her head. A low groan escaped her as she placed her hands back on the controls, data streaming before her eyes again. After a while checking the status of the ship (all green), their course (24^57, normal), and several of the security feeds, she began to feel more secure and distracted enough to try to forget the earlier events. However, in the corner of her vision, a small message popped up, bringing her attention to a sent transmission’s successful transfer.   

Peridot’s mind ran through any memories of sending a transition during the trip, but she couldn’t recall any. Visibly annoyed, she willed the transmission menu to come up, viewing the most resent sent feed. The screen switched to an image of a blue gem, Lapis, as she spoke, her worry evident in her voice. Worry for the Steven. 

Anger seethed in her at the idea of her informant, supposedly one that wanted to earn her and homeworld’s trust, would do something so vile. Immediately, she hit an alert system which wailed through the ship as she transferred the video to her personal drives, stomping out of the command room in search of the traitorous gem. Hopefully, with both her escort and informant’s clothes on this time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, writer's block got a hold of me. College semester starts two days from now too, so there might be a pause between chapters again, but I'll try to keep updating at a rather frequent pace. If anything, you'll see more short, one to two chaptered stories from me then anything. But, for now, enjoy this chapter.

It didn’t take Peridot long to find the ship’s inhabitants. Jasper was moving down the hallway with her typical gait of long strides with Lapis Lazuli trailing after her, lagging behind the general. Her pace didn’t change any when she spotted Peridot, but they shared eye contact for a moment broken only by her echoing words. 

“What do you want?” Jasper asked, her voice seething in irritation. “I was busy.” 

Peridot snorted as they met in the middle of the hall, Lapis catching up a few moments later. She peered curiously at Peridot, with he same amount of wonder Peridot had known of her. It seemed that she had taken a particular liking to the prosthetics she wore, her floating nodules striking curiosity in her. It was the same she had exhibited on their first official meeting and Peridot decided she preferred this look to the fear she had seen in the hanger. Still, it didn’t quell the rage swelling in her chest.

“Her,” she replied, pointing a disembodied finger at the antique gem.    “Me?” She echoed. Her voice was a soft chime in comparison to her own shrill tone or Jasper’s booming bellows. Peridot could almost consider it pleasant. 

The general turned to Lapis before narrowing her eyes at Peridot. “If you’re wanting a go at her, get in line.”

Peridot visibly recoiled at the statement, sputtering at Jasper’s recommendation. “I-! Not that, you clod!” She had begun to bear her teeth as she yelled and Jasper’s brows visibly knit at the insult. She wasn’t subtle as she crossed her arms and cocked a hip; a warning that Peridot was out of line and out ranked.

Another grumble escaped the technician’s lips before she summoned the recording in her mind, her gem projecting the transmission between the two of them. The second her face appeared on the screen, Lapis Lazuli’s eyes widened. Her gaze darted to Peridot as she shook her head slightly and stepped back, fear overcoming her soft features. 

Jasper, on the other hand, lost the edge to her irritable stance while her brows knitted together further and the transmission went on. Lapis Lazuli’s voice was the only sound between the three of them. Jasper’s face was bathed in the blue light of the transmission as Lapis backed away further. 

“There! See! She was contacting the Steven! What if it gathered more gems to interfere with my work? I knew this would only end badly,” Peridot ground out, the transmission cutting off abruptly as she fretted about. Her attention turned to Lapis followed shortly by Jasper’s gaze, holding level with her. 

“I didn’t, you don’t understand! It wasn’t for those gems!” She cried, her hands coming up before her in a defensive posture. 

The general wasn’t having any of it, however, seizing Lapis by her wrist and stomping down the hall, dragging her behind. Peridot stood in shock for a moment, not sure what she had expected the reaction would had been. To some extent, she was satisfied to see Lapis Lazuli paying for her betrayal. She had always felt dissent should be punished accordingly, but the fear and anguish in Lapis’ face gave her pause. 

Peridot quickly shook the feeling and rushed to catch up to the two. Lapis’ pleas for mercy, or at least a chance to explain, decorated their path towards the holding cells. Jasper paused in front of a particular cell, a lone one near the windows of the ship, allowing a clear view of the space beyond. When Peridot had helped design the schematics of the cargo ships, many technicians agreed it would be sensible to have a cell by itself, a place to hold a rebellion leader or particularly dangerous prisoner. All the same, it was the closest to the living quarters as well as the meeting halls.

“Open it,” Jasper demanded, her grip tightening on Lapis Lazuli enough for the gem to cry out in protest. Peridot hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did as she was told. The containment field opening easily before Lapis was unceremoniously shoved inside. Peridot raised the shield quickly as Lapis stared at them in abstract terror. 

“To think I thought you were proving yourself loyal.” Jasper’s voice came out a light snarl before she turned and stomped her way down the hall, leaving the two alone. Peridot paused, but turned to her or return to her post at the controls.

“Please!” 

Peridot whirled around in surprise to see Lapis Lazuli kneeling as closely as she could to the field without being in danger of receiving a shock. “Please, just let me explain.”

For the shortest of moments, Peridot held her gaze, her eyes searching the face for anything beyond fear or frustration but she couldn’t find much. It was most of all she had seen in there other; the apprehension of coming across the war ships when Peridot had first seen her, the hesitation in their first official meeting, the curiosity she always seemed to hold for Peridot’s technological prosthetics, all now represented in her face as she struggled to hold herself back from what Peridot could only imagine was a breakdown. 

When the other didn’t stop her, she continued. “I wasn’t trying to contact gems. There’s this boy, a human, he doesn’t mean anything. He’s the one who helped me. Please, you have to understand.”   Peridot didn’t. She knew what humans were as she had read in the briefings. From those she had gathered that they were rather primitive, lived short lives, and happened to be incredibly weak. She couldn’t imagine any gem making friends with a human, let alone contacting one. Instead, she gave her a pitying glance before stalking back to the command room with Lapis’ pleas fading the further she got. 

The doors to her post slid open and she was surprised to find Jasper leaning casually against the commands, the message Lapis had sent playing on the screen. She didn’t move when Peridot walked up beside her, scooting her chair away from the general.    “It was bound to happen, you know,” Peridot started, submerging her hands into the gel of the controls. Streams of data flew before her eyes again as she rectified the autopilot settings. “There is no way a relic gem like her would become loyal to a new diamond without some strings attached. That’s just how it works.”

“You don’t think I know that?” Jasper growled in return, earning her a tut from Peridot. 

“I’m only stating the obvious.” 

Jasper slammed her fist onto the console, the blow landing not far from Peridot. She responded with a squeak before turning to Jasper, her hands exiting the commands to give her a pointed glare. 

“It’s not necessary,” she ground out, accenting each word as she spoke. Peridot held Jasper’s gaze for a long moment, neither budging on their position. In any other situation, she would think she would back down from her, her foreboding stature enough alone to scare her into submission, but she was a stubborn creature if anything. Peridot could hear the console groan under the weight as Jasper applied pressure with teeth bared down at her. 

Frustratingly enough, Peridot’s mind begun to flitter to the files she had read after encountering the general for the first time. Reports that read about Jasper’s conquests in battle, a final gem count somewhere in the thousands. Especially now, with the console threatening a crack in the layered metal, Peridot couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Peridot let out a loud tut and defaulted to glare angrily at the console, earning a low rumble form Jasper. Her thunderous footsteps echoed throughout the room as she left. Peridot was only able to breathe again when the door slid shut. 

“At least I won’t have to deal with her again,” Peridot murmured to the console, sinking her hands back into the gel. She didn’t bother checking the monitors for signs of either Lapis Jasper, or Lapis Lazuli, again.


End file.
